"What a petty, petty man. And those ruthless people capitalized on it all," Wei Xiaotian pouted and harrumphed. Her dissatisfaction was clear for the world to see, and she was well within her rights to be. Guo Heng, known as the Exalted World-Saint Inversetoxin, the fourth floor Tower Master of the Zenith Refinement Tower, was deviously scheming, and all because of a rejected invitation.
Wei Wuyin shook his head. When it came to influential cultivators, those of significant status that could move galactic events, their egos and pride were substantially fragile. He fully understood why Guo Heng took the opportunity to send Sui Yuan to the afterlife, ironically on the birthday of her great teacher.
"Well, she did disrespect him," Wei Xiaotian wasn't ignorant to not see all sides, but she still found it quite frustrating to think about. It would be more interesting if he was pursuing her romantically and was curbed at every corner, insulted, and ruined by obsession. It would be a far better tale to hear.
Wei Wuyin didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Wei Xiaotian's thought process. Before the two of them, kneeling at the edge of the bed was the bow-wielding assassin in Spirit of War form. His cultivation base had suffered a great decline due to the transition and transformation, but he still possessed the innate knowledge of a Sage bolstered by the Law of War infused in the Nexus War Talisman.
The bow-wielding assassin was obedient and told them everything. As a Sage-level assassin, he wasn't low-level and ignorant of the reason for his targeted assassination. He knew every detail about the target. Sui Yuan was a notoriously disrespectful little witch, and she offended more than just Guo Heng with her lofty attitude. She was the type to have her nose pointed at the sky with all those beneath her. It was a wonder that she showed disrespect to so many clan leaders and alchemists. Perhaps it was her reliance on World-Saint Azure Rain as her Alchemic Knight, but that was not a good recipe for success. Regardless, her attitude led to her enemies gathering together silently to issue a hit on her head.
The bow-wielding Sage was a part of an assassination organization—The Shadow Veil. Three dark organizations in the Utmost Purity Galaxy operated on a galactic-wide scale. They were the Shadow Veil, the Arachnids, and the Seers of the Night. Shadow Veil conducted assassinations and stealthy protection, and were notorious for protection rackets, earning yearly profit by placing targets on their no-hit list. They extorted organizations without shame.
The Arachnids were an intelligence agency with very unique cultivators, known for acquiring information and details that Seers, Oracles, and Fortune Tellers were unable to, or were restricted due to the obscenely high level of cultivation or methods deployed by various cultivators. There wasn't a single Seer that would carelessly derive information of an Original Magistrate due to their connection to Heaven's Gate, and they could sense or wall off divinations through Heavenly Radiance.
Seers of the Night was an insidious group of Seers that manipulated events, and often assisted individuals in conducting vile business, snatching opportunities or outright denying them from others. They also were an independent Seer Organization that was far less neutral than the Blessed Sentinel and would openly fight for resources. They did not hide their Dark Cultivation Methods that relied on the vitality and soul energies of others to assist their divinations or withstand vicious backlashes.
Shadow Veil would normally target Wei Wuyin, but they were the type to fear the strong and abuse the weak. According to the assassin, offending Wei Wuyin wasn't worth it for now. For now.
As for the details of all those involved, the assassin was normally under a Heaven-Bound Mythical Oath, but after his transformation, he was no longer bound. This was one of the hidden abilities of the Nexus War Flag, and only a Supreme Heavenly Treasure used as a medium would prevent the shattering of the oath's planted seed. However, how rare were Supreme Heavenly Treasures? Despite Wei Wuyin fighting multiple Sages, even Pakhet who used her own bones as material to forge her Heavenly Treasure, she was unable to create a Supreme Heavenly Treasure.
He spilled everything. And that meant everything. Wei Wuyin and Wei Xiaotian learned secrets that shocked them, such as past assassinations that had no answers. Sui Yuan's situation was bone-chilling. There were at least six Sages, three Mystic Overlords, and seven Original Magistrates across the entire Utmost Purity Galaxy and eleven Worldly Saint Alchemists of varying levels that had invested in her death, some even paid out of their clan's or organization's funds. She wasn't just disliked. She was hated.
The Guo Heng event was only the main driving force as he was the initiator of this murderous plot. And the cost was obscenely high.
"REALLY?! THAT MUCH?!" Wei Xiaotian was shocked as her eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'o' shape. Even Wei Wuyin was sweating on Sui Yuan's behalf. The overall cost for her head was approximately eighty-two million Mystic-World Essence Stones, not counting the Heavenly Treasures forged to specifically counter and kill her. The highest offer for the Continent of the First Knight was ONLY three million!!
"That's about half the value of a peak-tier Arising Sage Elixir at the peak-quality, which is roughly estimated at one-hundred and eighty million Mystic-World Essence Stones. If those treasures were included, then it'll likely equal that price." Wei Wuyin mused, but the value of Alchemical Products was significantly inflated due to scarcity and demand, especially something like the Arising Sage Elixir that every Mystic Overlord and True Sage would go to war over.
When one thought about it, Wei Wuyin was a little too wealthy after his secluded concoction session. Buying the Continent of the First Night with a few peak-tier, low-quality Mystic-World products was excessively high, but it genuinely didn't hurt Wei Wuyin in any way.
Additionally, that wasn't the only cost for Sui Yuan's assassination attempt; these figures had to move literal mountains by bribing the Zenith Growth Tower to not act or delay any response to Sage-level conflict while simultaneously suppressing the news, paying off Sages both dark and neutral to hide their villainous scheme. It was hard to measure the exact price they paid.
Wei Wuyin sent the bow-wielding Sage-level assassin now known as Zhan Jiejie back into the Nexus War Flag while pouring Soul Light within, slowly restoring his original cultivation. It required Mystic-World Essence Stones and a few other precious materials, specifically items of heaven and earth associated with the Heaven's Gate, the apex of the Mystic Dao, and a bridging connection between the spirit and the heavens.
Wei Wuyin didn't lack these materials or the Soul Light needed to fuel their cultivation. War Commander Zhan Zheng had already made leaps and bounds in his cultivation base. While he hadn't developed vitality and True Soul like those two from earlier, he was by far rising to remain the strongest amongst all the Spirits of War in his possession.
Wei Wuyin thought that perhaps only the Heavenly War Spirit could reach the levels of those Spirits accompanying Su Yi earlier. She was special. They were special. This was especially so after she was transforming on the basis of a True Soul Phase expert that was heralded as the peak of the Mystic Ascendant Realm.
The next guest was the mountain-slinging Sage. She wasn't a Spirit of War. She was severely injured, her soul suffered disastrous damage while her Soulguard was ravaged by Sword Intent and Sword Power. Even an Original Magistrate would be able to off her in her current ashen pale state.
Wei Wuyin decided to not kill her. There was a twofold reason: primarily, it was because she was a female Sage without any signs of Dao Companionship. Secondly, she was incredibly beautiful and fit his type, from her full lips to her luscious black hair to her phoenix eyes carrying a strong sense of pride.
That's right! Wei Wuyin saved her out of pure lust. He wasn't afraid to admit it either. While he would never force her to serve him and had already made up his mind that as long as she provided some insight into her operation, he would let her go with her severely heavy injuries without any additional support. This was a trade-off for saving her life.
There was another detail; she didn't have a Heaven-Bound Mythical Oath tethered to her Mystic Soul.
Wei Xiaotian gave Wei Wuyin a side-eye. He killed the assassin yet spared the dark-haired beauty. She saw his intentions as clear as day. Fortunately, she didn't have any extra energy to tease this womanizer as her interest was instantly pulled by the spilled beans.
Her name was Fei Linglin, and belonged to one of the twenty-four galactic clans, the Fei Clan of the Transforming Worlds Galactic Zone. The twenty-four galactic clans all had Enlightened Sages as leaders, with only five clans among them having Supreme Sages at the helm, one of them was the Suo Clan of the Containing Creation Galactic Zone. However, all twenty-four galactic clans had connections with Supreme Sages. It was widely regarded that the title required the support of a Supreme Sage, at least.
A few of the twenty-four galactic clans had clan elders who were concubines of a Supreme Sage, and that was not female or male-exclusive.
She was tasked with capturing Shang Wanqing. At least, that's what Wei Wuyin had originally thought. Her real goal was to prevent Shang Wanqing from being captured by anyone else AND simultaneously kill Sage Avenging Heart using the Resonant Qi Talisman.
That was right! Another assassination scheme! Unfortunately, the Resonant Qi Talisman wasn't able to complete its job as he sacrificed his incomplete Heavenly Treasure to bear just enough damage to secure his life, and Sage Painted Star foolishly took another portion.
"Why do so many people want to kill the Sages of the Knightly Dao Pavilion?" Wei Xiaotian was in awe of this multi-layered plot.
Fei Linglin coughed violently as dark blood splashed her hand, threatening to spew over. She had to take a few minutes to calm her body's injuries. When she settled, she explained that the plan was extensive. The mountain she flung was personally created by three other Sages and was a one-time Heavenly Treasure. Additionally, the array of the Knightly Dao Pavilion was affected by another power, suppressing its sensing powers. She hadn't expected there to be traitors that would suggest lessening the sensing range, and reducing its sensing powers further while simultaneously restraining the Spiritual Sense of those within without any sign of it.
Clearly, multiple plots had inadvertently helped her, while it helped those thieving Mystic Overlords as well. No one but Wei Wuyin saw them coming despite there being three Sages on the scene! It was a little shocking. She had failed in both her objectives. So she unhesitatingly, without Wei Wuyin's prompting, sought his protection with a kowtow. Her failure would likely result in her drop in status, and given her state that was nearly crippled, she was now useless. Her Soulguard was penetrated, and the Sword Power was insidious and contained a soulful strength. Without multiple Sages, a Supreme Sage, or the appropriate tools and alchemical products, her cultivation base would continuously regress and then eventually collapse. And she had her fair share of enemies.
Fei Linglin was in a great spiral due to Su Yi's sword.
"It's the fourth level of Nascent Soul Profound Energy," Wei Xiaotian determined as he eyed her state. Sages were notoriously difficult to kill without using the power of Laws, but this swordsman had used pure mystic power to nearly kill a Sage. An excessively difficult feat.
The Nascent Souls' third level granted a Profound Meridian that elevated certain energies, but the fourth level granted them soul-affecting properties that could bypass Soulguards, and perhaps harm Supreme Sages to an extent. At least, that's what she deduced.
Wei Wuyin had determined the same. Even now, he had to rely on Laws to kill Sages consistently. That said, Originfire and Origindust should achieve similar effects, but he simply hadn't tested them yet.
"You understand that you'd have to abandon your clan?" Wei Wuyin asked with a solemn intensity. If she served him, she would have to forgo her clan in many ways.
Fei Linglin hesitated. Did she really? There was an emotional light flickering within her eyes, containing reluctance and uncertainty.
Wei Wuyin sighed and chuckled, "I'm just kidding. You'll serve as a maidservant to my wife for ten thousand years, and then you'll have your freedom. What do you think? I'll ensure your injuries are healed and your cultivation doesn't regress."
Fei Linglin's eyes brightened. Ten thousand years? Only? She was ecstatic!
Despite Cao Cuifen already having Grey Rose, she could have another. She certainly wouldn't reject it. Liu Suyin would reject a maidservant. Additionally, Grey Rose's deficient cultivation base was being solved, and she could attempt to ascend to the True Sage Phase with an Arising Sage Elixir any moment now.
Two Sages should elevate Cao Cuifen's outward status as his wife. As for his intentions to invite Fei Linglin to his bed, he decided to put that on the wayside for now.
"Who sent you?" Wei Wuyin asked.
"I was tasked by Grand Seer Rippledark of the Seers of the Night through the Fei Clan. I obtained the Resonant Qi Talisman from him, and I suspect that he obtained it from one of the Zenith Transformation Tower's Tower Masters. As for why, I recognized the aura before by pure coincidence. I once met the Head Dao Enforcer of the tower and I'm unable to forget her aura."
"..." Wei Wuyin was taken aback. Four of the seven towers and two of the galactic-tier dark organizations had their hands in this operation. How ludicrous was this? Whether it was the implicit acceptance of the Zenith Growth Tower, the direct involvement of Guo Heng of the Zenith Refinement Tower, the Resonant Qi Talisman of the Zenith Transformation Tower, or the interference of the Zenith Creation Tower, this was a multi-zone scheme on a great, costly scale.
And Wei Wuyin had effectively ruined it all. Wei Xiaotian had a smug smile on her face as if enjoying Wei Wuyin's drama, but the concern in her lovely eyes was unconcealable. "You should be careful of this upcoming game of Mystics. I already think a few will try to harm you through it."
"Yeah, yeah." Wei Wuyin waved his hand carelessly about with a silent groan. His eyes looked to the floor of his room. There was a frightening shadow of an eight-legged thousand-eyed spider crawling disgustingly about, twisting across folds of space and hidden within the depths of the void, observing him with its many ocelli.
The Arachnids... Unfortunately for them, Wei Wuyin had long since sealed off this strange apparition tethered to the void. It was attempting to observe him on a deeper scale. How could it be so easy?
Wei Xiaotian and Fei Linglin were completely unaware of its existence.

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